Pyongnam Line

P'yŏngnam Line
Overview
Native name	평남선(平南線)
Type	Heavy rail, Regional rail Passenger/Freight
Locale	P'yŏngyang South P'yŏngan Namp'o
Termini	P'yŏngyang Namp'o
Stations	17
Operation
Opened	Mainline: 16 October 1910 Onch'ŏn Branch: 8 July 1938
Owner	Korean State Railway
Operator(s)	Korean State Railway
Technical
Line length	89.9 km (55.9 mi)
Number of tracks	Single track
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	3000 V DC Catenary (P'yŏngyang - Namp'o)
Route map Legend P'yŏngbu Line 0.0 P'yŏngyang (Metro) P'yŏngŭi Line 3.9 Pot'onggang (Metro) P'yŏngyanghwajŏn Br. Pot'onggang Branch P'yŏngch'ŏn P'yŏngyang Choch'ajang Potong River Youth Hero Motorway 7.5 Choch'ŏn Until 1935 8.7 Ch'ilgol Youth Hero Motorway 13.3 Taep'o Closed 15.8 Taep'yŏng ↑P'yŏngyang/Ch'ŏllima↓ Chamjil-li Branch 23.1 Kangsŏn 5.0 Posan ↑Ch'ŏllima/Kangsŏ↓ Chamjil-li Posan Branch 28.3 Kangsŏ Tae'an Line 35.2 Taesŏng Closed Youth Hero Motorway ↑Kangsŏ/Ryonggang↓ 40.7 Ryonggang Ryonggang Line ↑Ryonggang/Hanggu↓ 47.6 Kalch'ŏn ↑Hanggu/Namp'o↓ Onch'ŏn Branch Sinnamp'o Youth Hero Motorway Toji-ri ↑Hanggu/Namp'o↓ Toji-ri Branch Namp'ohang Branch Namp'ohang ? 0.0 Namp'o ↑Namp'o/Waudo↓ 6.7 Haesan Closed 9.4 Tŏktong 13.8 Sillyŏng-ri Sŏhae Kammun Line 18.5 East Kwangryang 20.7 West Kwangryang 23.4 Hwado ↑Waudo/Onch'ŏn↓ 25.9 Rosang 29.8 Kwisŏng 34.7 P'yŏngnam Onch'ŏn Namdong Branch Ansŏk ↑Onch'ŏn/Chŭngsan↓ P'ungjŏng Iap Raksaeng Sŏkta ↑Chŭngsan/P'yŏngwŏn↓ Hanch'ŏn Taep'ung ↑P'yŏngwŏn/Sukch'ŏn↓ Yŏmjŏn Manp'ung Namdong Sŏhae Line

The P'yŏngnam Line is an electrified standard-gauge trunk line of the North Korean State Railway linking P'yŏngyang with the port city of Namp'o and the hot springs at P'yongnam Onch'on. The length of the line is 89.9 km.^[1] It also serves as a connection between the various trunk lines starting at P'yŏngyang that serve the north and east of the country with the lines in the southwestern part of North Korea by means of a connection to the Sŏhae Kammun Line. It also connects to the Ryonggang Line and the freight-only Taean Line.^[2]

On 21 October 2014 a groundbreaking ceremony for the Sŭngri ("Victory") project to modernise the P'yŏngnam Line from Namp'o to P'yŏngyang and the P'yŏngdŏk Line from P'yŏngyang to Chedong was held. The project, supported by Russia, is intended to form the first stage of a larger-scale cooperation with the Russian Railways as part of a 20-year development project that would modernise around 3,500 km of the North Korean rail network, and would include the construction of a north-south freight bypass around P'yŏngyang. The overall project cost is estimated to be around US $25 billion, and it is expected that exports of coal, rare earth and non-ferrous metals from the DPRK to Russia will provide the funding for the project.^[3]

History

In September 1909 the Chosen Government Railway began construction of a rail line running between P'yŏngyang and Chinnamp'o (nowadays Namp'o),^[2] opening it for operations on 16 October 1910.^[4]

In the following years, a number of stations were opened along the line to expand the service: Kangsŏn Station on 1 July 1923; Kalch'ŏn station on 1 May 1924; Taesŏng station, 35.2 km from P'yŏngyang between Kangsŏ and Ryonggang, was opened on 1 November 1925 and subsequently closed; Choch'on station was opened on 11 February 1934,^[5] but a year later was dismantled and moved 1.2 km south, becoming today's Ch'ilgol Station;^[6] Taebo station, 13.3 km from P'yŏngyang Station between Choch'on and Taep'yŏng Stations in Man'gyŏngdae-guyŏk, P'yŏngyang, was opened on 10 January 1944 and subsequently closed;^[7] and Pot'onggang station on 21 March 1944.^[8]

On 8 July 1938, the Chosen P'yŏngan Railway (朝鮮平安鉄道, Chōsen Heian Tetsudō; 조선 평안 철도, Chosŏn P'yŏngan Ch'ŏldo) opened a private railway line from Chinnamp'o to P'yŏngnam Onch'ŏn(34.7 km), running passenger trains to serve the hot springs there.^[9]

Both lines were nationalised by the Korean State Railway after the establishment of the DPRK. The line was heavily damaged during the Korean War, but was subsequently rebuilt and expanded, with the construction of Sinnamp'o Station to serve glass factories and shipbuilders located there. The mainline between P'yŏngyang and Namp'o was electrified in December 1979.^[2]

After the completion of the West Sea Barrage in 1986, a new rail line, the Sŏhae Kammun Line was opened, running from Sillyŏng-ri on the Onch'ŏn branch of the P'yŏngnam Line to Ch'ŏlgwang on the Ŭllyul Line.^[1]

Services

Freight

The Ch'ŏllima Steel Complex (천리마제강련합기업소, Ch'ŏllima Chegang Ryŏnghap Kiŏpso), the April 13 Ironworks (4월13일제철소, 4-wŏl 13-il Jech'ŏlso), the Kŭmsŏng Tractor Factory (금성뜨락또르종합공장, Kŭmsŏng Ttŭraktorŭ Chonghap Kongjang), the Taean Machine Complex (대안중기계련합기업소, Taean Chunggigye Ryŏnghap Kiŏpso), the Namp'o Smelting Complex (남포제련련합기업소, Namp'o Cheryŏn Ryŏnghap Kiŏpso), Namp'o Shipyard (남포조선소, Namp'o Chosŏnso) and other industries along the mainline of the P'yŏngnam Line, are all served by freight trains, and import-export traffic through Namp'o Port - North Korea's largest in terms of traffic - is also moved by rail along this line.^[2]

On the Onch'ŏn Branch, the bulk of outbound freight traffic is salt and agricultural products; inbound traffic consists primarily of coal, anthracite, fertiliser and goods for everyday use. There is also a significant amount of military traffic along this line, destined for P'yŏngnam Onch'ŏn.^[2]

Passenger

A number of long-distance and local passenger trains serve the P'yŏngnam Line.

Four passenger trains operate over the entirety of the mainline.^[2] These are semi-express trains 146-147/148-149 between Sinŭiju Ch'ŏngnyŏn on the P'yŏngŭi Line and Namp'o via P'yŏngyang;^[1] regional trains 226-227/228-229 between Tŏkch'ŏn on the P'yŏngdŏk Line and P'yŏngnam Onch'ŏn;^[1] regional trains 225/230 between Potonggang and P'yŏngnam Onch'ŏn;^[1] and regional trains 240-241 between Haeju Ch'ŏngnyŏn on the Hwanghae Ch'ŏngnyŏn Line and Namp'o via P'yŏngyang.^[1]

Other passenger trains on the line include local trains 361/362, operating between Namp'o and Ch'ŏlgwang, running from Namp'o to Sillyŏng-ri and continuing to Ch'ŏlgwang via the Sŏhaekammun Line, and local trains 733/734, operating between Kangsŏ and Mayŏng on the Ryonggang Line via Ryonggang.^[1]

Due to the poor state of the tracks, at present the travel time for trains between P'yŏngyang and Namp'o is around three hours.

Route

The mainline has a number of branchlines:^[1][2]

• The Pot'onggang Branch, from Pot'onggang Station to P'yŏngyang Marshalling Yard;
• The P'yŏngyanghwajon Branch (also called the Hwaryŏk ("Thermal Power") Branch), from Pot'onggang Station to P'yŏngch'ŏn Station, serving the P'yŏngyang Thermal Power Plant;
• The Chamjil-li Branch, from Taep'yŏng Station to Chamjil-li Station;
• The Posan Branch, from Kangsŏ Station to Posan Station
• The Nampohang Branch, from Namp'o Station to Namp'ohang Station serving Namp'o Port;
• The Toji-ri Branch, from Namp'o Station to Toji-ri Station.

Mainline

A yellow background in the "Distance" box indicates that section of the line is not electrified.

P'yŏngyanghwajon Branch

This line serves the P'yŏngyang Thermal Power Plant.

Pot'onggang Branch

This line serves the P'yŏngyang Marshalling Yard.

Chamjil-li Branch

Not electrified.

Posan Branch

Electrified.

Onch'ŏn Branch

Partially electrified.

Namdong Branch

Not electrified.

Toji-ri Branch

This non-electrified branch serves the Namp'o Smelting Complex.

Namp'ohang Branch

This line serves Namp'o Port.

References

• Japanese Government Railways, 鉄道停車場一覧. 昭和12年10月1日現在 [The list of the Stations as of 1 October 1937], Kawaguchi Printing Company, Tokyo, 1937, p 486

P'yŏngnam Line
Mainline	P'yŏngyang Pot'onggang Ch'ilgol Taep'yŏng Kangsŏn Kangsŏ Ryonggang Kalch'ŏn Sinnamp'o Namp'o
P'yŏngyang Hwajŏn Branch	Pot'onggang P'yŏngch'ŏn
Pot'onggang Branch	Pot'onggang P'yŏngyang Choch'ajang (Marshalling Yard)
Chamjilli Branch	Kangsŏn Chamjilli
Posan Branch	Kangsŏ Posan
Onch'ŏn Branch	Namp'o Sinnamp'o Tŏktong Sillyŏngri East Kwangryang West Kwangryang Hwado Rosang Kwisŏng P'yŏngnam Onch'ŏn
Namdong Branch	P'yŏngnam Onch'ŏn Ansŏk P'ungjŏng Iap Raksaeng Sŏkta Hanch'ŏn Taep'ung Yŏmjŏn Manp'ung Namdong
Tojiri Branch	Namp'o Tojiri
Namp'ohang Branch	Namp'o Namp'ohang